Wait For Me
by Totally4Ryo
Summary: While investigating alien tech, Ianto Jones is thrown into the far future. Will he find a way home?
1. Prologue

Written: 3/22/09 – 3/30/09  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen, Toshiko, Owen, Jack/OMC  
Spoilers: Up to "Exit Wounds", DW: "Stolen Earth" & "Journey's End"  
Disclaimer: I don't own Jack and Ianto (heavy sigh), I'm pretty sure they own each other. I do know the BBC and RTD owns all things Torchwood.  
Warnings: Slash, implied MPREG.  
Summary: While investigating alien tech, Ianto is accidentally lost in time.  
Notes: Written for Grace Musica – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETHEART! I hope you like it. This takes place sometime after "Day In the Death" and before "Fragments". It's looking to be around 3 parts, maybe 5 and approximately 5,000 words. This fic won Best Short Story at Children of Time Awards, Round 3.  
Beta by the lovely and gracious cjharknessgirl who was also instrumental in helping me with the direction of this fic.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Prologue

Alien tech was tricky. Sometimes it was harmless, other times it would wreck havoc, no matter how careful one was with handling it.

Currently, the newest piece of alien tech about to become Torchwood Three's safekeeping was being studied carefully by Ianto and Gwen, while Jack prepared a portable containment field to encase it in. Jack had determined that the triangular device was a type of vortex manipulator, but had no idea how it worked. The readings they were getting from the device made Jack nervous. While plenty of alien tech can go under their radar and avoid detection by the team, some items made their presence known on their scanners the moment it arrived through the Rift. Those items were considered live and dangerous and were handled with extreme caution.

Jack knew of such devices that were triggered by touch, light or sound. Whether the trigger would open the device to reveal a panel or work telepathically, Jack had no idea. If it was a telepathic device, none of them were trained to control it, Jack included.

The sooner he had it safely contained, the sooner Jack would start breathing easier. He watched as Gwen and Ianto conferred in whispers and then the Welshwoman stood up to join Toshiko, who was standing a good distance away. The Japanese woman had been scanning the immediate area, assuring the device did not let out anything dangerous to humans. The field was currently cordoned off, but normally was a busy area with people walking their dogs and children playing games. Gwen turned her comm on when she reached Toshiko. At Jack's orders, their comm devices were turned off while in close proximity to the device. Jack did not want to take chances of their comms firing up the device.

Ianto remained kneeling near the device. He looked as if he was preparing to get up and leave the area. Jack watched, waiting for Ianto to clear the area, once he noted the containment field was ready for use. With Ianto's comm off, he had to wait for Ianto to leave. He was hoping Ianto would look over to him, so he could give his lover the signal that he was ready.

Ianto finally was on his feet and dusting off the knees of his pinstriped suit trousers. He turned and met Jack's eyes. Jack nodded and Ianto returned the gesture, understanding he should join him. As he pocketed his scanner, Jack spoke into his comm.

"Toshiko, Gwen, stay back where you are. Once Ianto is clear, I'm going to contain this beauty."

"We're not moving, Jack," Gwen replied as Toshiko nodded.

As Ianto started to take a step away, a dog came into the clearing, seemingly from nowhere, barking. It saw Ianto and ran right for him, still barking. Ianto turned to look at the dog and suddenly he was encased in a bright light.

"Oh shit!" Gwen cursed. "The dog!"

"It's sound controlled," Toshiko said, her eyes on her PDA. "And the dog barking has the right pitch to trigger it."

Jack stood where he was, frozen, his eyes wide. If he heard Gwen and Toshiko, he showed no sign as he stared at the empty area where the device and Ianto had been moments before.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ianto had been dreaming the strangest dream. Or was it a nightmare, he considered briefly. He lay quietly, eyes still closed and his mind going back over the dream. It seemed to stretch out into infinity. A spiral that went on and on. And he had been falling through it, unsure where he was going, with no destination. Panic had filled him as he wondered if he would just fall through the spiral with no end. His head was hurting and he was dizzy. If he was able to in a dream, he would have thrown up. The sense of falling forever ended when he latched onto a voice and found himself following it. He couldn't recognize the voice, but felt it was right to follow it.

No longer dreaming, he still heard it.

"Ianto. Ianto, can you hear me? You have to open your eyes."

He finally recognized the voice and with effort, he opened his eyes. To find Jack Harkness' beautiful blue eyes staring down at him in concern.

But it seemed wrong. "Jack?" he croaked.

"Easy," Jack soothed, squeezing the hand he held. "You've been out for a while."

"What happened?"

"Rift manipulator," Jack replied. "It took you for a little trip, I'm afraid."

"Trip? Where?" Ianto tried to sit up, but Jack held him down with a hand on his chest.

"Slowly. It wasn't kind to you because your mind was not calibrated for it."

"Where did it take me? I don't remember." Ianto forced himself to remain focused on Jack's eyes. Something still felt wrong. Jack's eyes, for one. They seemed older, and yet younger at the same time. There were a few more crow's feet around the eyes Ianto knew so well.

"The future," Jack replied.

"The… future?" Ianto's concentration went away from Jack's face to the clothes the older man wore. Jack was wearing a blue and black striped shirt, tucked into a pair of black jeans. Ianto had seen Jack go without his braces occasionally, but rarely had he seen Jack out of his various colored workshirts and trousers. He wore a leather jacket that had an antique look to it, but was of a fashion Ianto had never seen before.

Jack nodded as he patted Ianto on the chest and drew his hands away. "Yes," he replied.

"And…." Ianto glanced around at the strange room. "Where am I?" He looked past Jack to his surroundings. It was a bland room, painted beige. On the wall across from the foot of the bed Ianto found himself in was a lighted panel. He slowly started to sit up. Jack did not stop him this time, his eyes watching Ianto carefully.

Jack looked at a wall with a heavy sigh.

"Jack?" Ianto warned. "Where the hell are we?" he demanded.

"New York City."

Ianto swung his feet over the edge of the narrow bed and sat up. "You said I went into the future. I look around me and nothing seems familiar, so I'm guessing I didn't return." He stared at Jack, willing the other man to look directly at him. "Besides, I would hate to think I was out long enough for you to move us to New York."

"No. You've been out of it for almost a day. Right. We're in the year 3253."

"I came here alone," Ianto stated, the situation suddenly snapping into place in his mind. "You're from here, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I'm future Jack, I guess you could say."

"How did I end up with you then? In New York?"

"I live here now," Jack replied. "Have for about 150 years."

"What happened to Cardiff? Torchwood?" Ianto asked.

"Are you hungry?" Jack asked suddenly.

"Not really."

"You should have something to eat. At the least, you should get hydrated."

"Where are we?" Ianto went to stand up, and Jack was at his side, steadying him.

"Slowly. Come with me, and I'll answer your questions."

With a supporting arm around Ianto, Jack led him to a door that opened automatically when they approached it.

Ianto looked around them as they walked down a long white corridor with a blue stripe running down the middle of the walls. The floor was covered with plush blue carpeting. "Where is this again?" he asked Jack.

"Torchwood New York."

"Now I've heard everything," Ianto muttered.

"You will. Just give me a few minutes to get you settled in the kitchen."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ianto sat in a chair at a dining table in what Jack told him was the kitchen for the sector they were in, watching as Jack made them tea. They hadn't spoken since they were in the corridor. Ianto was currently thinking back to the short trip from the room he found himself in. For half the walk, Jack maintained an arm around Ianto for support, but once it was obvious Ianto had regained his footing and was not going to collapse on him, he pulled his arm away and kept a small distance between them. Ianto had also noticed a distance while Jack had his arm around him.

As he studied the fixtures of the gray smoked plexi-glass, silver and gray marble kitchen, Ianto realized it had to be well over a thousand years since Jack had been with him. He had a lot of questions. Questions he knew were better left unanswered. He felt sad that he was in a time long after his own demise. He had to wonder what was going on in Jack's head. Was he reminded of what they once had? Did he realize how much the Captain missed him? Or did he move on completely? Ianto was not sure if the lack of any reaction to his showing up in that time from Jack was due to the other having had at least a few hours, or was it that Ianto so firmly in Jack's past that he did not miss him at all.

Ianto knew it was unfair of him. A millennia had gone by. Jack should be able to move on and not be weighed down by the past. It was not Jack's fault that Ianto was unable to share it with the immortal.

Jack sat down at the table, setting a cup of tea before Ianto and one in his place. A plate of biscuits was between them. "You're wanting answers, I suppose," Jack said with a weak smile after taking a sip of his tea.

"Tea?" Ianto raised an eyebrow.

Jack shrugged. "After all this time, I never mastered making coffee like you can. Not that I gave it up, mind you. Besides, our med officer suggested to keep you away from caffeine for now. I'm to keep you up to your eyeballs in non-caffeinated tea and juices. You're due for a check up in a few hours."

Ianto found himself attempting not to smile.

"Go ahead," Jack said with a knowing look, his eyebrow raised. "I never did forget you, if that's what you want to know." He grinned as Ianto flushed. "You're unforgettable, Mr. Jones."

"So, New York?" Ianto asked, changing what was quickly becoming a difficult topic for him. "How did that happen?"

"Torchwood Cardiff is still in operation. There's a new team, quite competent, and I'm available for a quick trip to help out if they need it. Torchwood New York is…" Jack leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "You know, everything changed. We now have ships going off to space ports for travel and colonization on other worlds. We have aliens who are not threats to the Earth traveling and living on Earth. Torchwood expanded because we decided we were not going to allow UNIT complete jurisdiction over off-world VISAs. We're now funded by the United Nations, just like UNIT, but they more or less do our grunt work for us. All Torchwood branches have UNIT members working at them."

"And New York?" Ianto asked again.

Jack laughed. "I am 'American', aren't I?"

"You've done so much for Queen and country," Ianto mused. "And we both know you're not American."

"Now it's for the world. No one monarch. New York is the new headquarters for Torchwood. It's still taking shape. But it was time to leave Cardiff. While it grew in population, with technology as it is, it was harder to keep secrets and arouse suspicion. So it was time to move. New York is easier to blend in for a few hundred years or so. I'm still Jack, but I also changed my last name again. To what, I'm not going to tell you. And I'm known more as Director than Captain."

"Well," Ianto took a sip of tea, mentally digesting what the future Jack had divulged. "Isn't it dangerous for me to know all this?" he asked.

"If you sit down and think about it, you'll realize it's something we both knew would eventually happen. So…." Jack shrugged.

"And if I'm stuck here, that hardly matters anyway," Ianto replied. "Should I return, you're going to Retcon me, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry, Ianto. I'm more than certain you make it back. Assuming we don't muck it up on this side. I remember this. I remember you were missing for three days and I was so scared I lost you forever. But you came back. With some of your memories stripped. You remembered going somewhere, but specifics you didn't know. It was a mystery until earlier today when you suddenly appeared in my office and collapsed."

"I remember the device we found. You said it enabled time travel."

"Obviously, it was triggered telepathically."

"But I'm not a telepath."

"Everyone is in some degree. If I remember your testing back at Torchwood One, you did test slightly higher than average. Which makes it my guess that it made the difference between you being trapped somewhere alone, or you ending up here."

Ianto put down his tea cup and stared at Jack in question.

"When it pulled you into the vortex, your mind focused on me. So, the device sent you to me. Just so happened it's me in this time. It could have been a me in anytime, anywhere in the universe." Jack smiled gently. "Makes me believe that we had a bond we were unaware of back then. But that's what brought you to me. At least you're among friends, while we try to send you back where you belong."

"What's the problem? I'm guessing if I did it once, I can do it again."

"You might. But you'll have to focus your thoughts more, or you'll just end up traveling from time to time, finding different Jack's through time. It's going to take some training. I have someone working on a program to help you attune to the device to help your control. And you'll need to do some mental exercises so you can focus clearly on me back where you left from." Jack spread his hands. "It could take a day, or weeks. Depending on you. So in the meantime, we're prepared to make you as comfortable as possible. While I know you'll go back with no memories of what you learn here, there are some things it's best you not know. I'm not sure how it would affect the flux of time and space. You'll have to trust me, Ianto. Whatever I do that might not seem fair to you, it's for your own good, to get you back to where you belong. If nothing else, I need you, Ianto. More than you realize. I need to get you back home."

"But you just said I do return," Ianto protested.

"Yes. But it's not set in stone. It's in flux and it could change what came to be. Are you ready to see your quarters for your stay? I'd offer you a tour first, but you still need some rest. I'll come back for you later and take you on a tour of Torchwood New York." Jack stood up.

Ianto also stood up, picking up his empty cup. Jack shook his head, smiling slightly.

"Leave it, Ianto. We have people to pick up after us." Jack went over to Ianto and grasped him by his bicep. "Let's go."

Ianto found himself being guided by Jack from the kitchen to a lift. Ianto was able to see the mechanisms of the lift through the glass back wall. As they climbed up several levels, the mechanisms of the lift were replaced by a view of New York City. "That answers one of my questions," Ianto commented dryly. "I assume Torchwood New York is a tower?" As he looked over to Jack, he could not help the shiver that ran through him.

"So is Torchwood Cardiff. We still use part of what was the original Hub, but parts of it have been destroyed. We still have the vaults, and the archives for most of the more dangerous items in the old Hub, but we built upward on the lot behind the Wales Millennium Center. Five stories. Most of it is labs and monitoring stations. Now here in New York…." The lift stopped and Ianto stared at the panel, noting they were on the 52nd floor. "Our building is divided into sections. You'll see it all later. There are offices, labs, archives, and public relations and communication/monitoring sections. We're currently in the living section. The upper floors are for those associates who prefer to live close to work. Otherwise, they'd be traveling in from the outer boroughs. We pay well, but not enough for the majority to afford living in Manhattan. All real estate in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx that has a view of Manhattan is also sky high. Again, I'll explain it all later. Let's just suffice to say, we make it affordable for our lower level associates to live in this city. We also have guest quarters, and a few floors with suites and hotel service. This is one of those floors." Jack smiled at him as they left the lift. He removed a card from his jacket pocket. "You have the best suite we have for your stay. I hope you be comfortable in it." Jack led them down a hallway with walls painted in swirls of cool colors of blues and greens. The flooring was hardwood with a runner of a sea green shade going down the hallway. Near the end of the corridor, Jack stopped them before a door and handed Ianto the card. "Standard keycard. No huge trick in using it."

Ianto took the offered card and unlocked the door. "I presume I woke up in your medical section?" he asked, gazing around the loft-like room. It was open and airy, with a wall of windows looking out over the city, with a patio beyond the windows. Ianto noticed that New York City hadn't changed too much. Thought there were some new buildings that went up higher and had interesting spirals and shapes toward the tops. He also figured out that the Torchwood New York tower was not one of the tallest buildings in the city.

"It's an amazing view at night. So many colors in the skyline these days. You have doors to the patio over there," Jack said, pointing toward French doors of metal, "as well as from your bedroom. Which is up those stairs there." Jack indicated a metal curved staircase, but it was not as narrow or tight as a standard spiral staircase. "Someone will be arriving with some food staples for you, but you're also welcome to use the cafeteria on the 10th floor. If you're up to it, you are free to do your own shopping later. Once we find someone to accompany you."

"Why can't you?"

"Whenever I have the time, I'd be delighted to," Jack said. "But my off time is… complicated."

"Complicated, huh? Some things never change with you even after 1200 years."

"Yeah well…." Jack grinned ruefully. The grin left his face when he was interrupted by music. Ianto recognized the song as "Heaven" by Bryan Adams. Jack removed an earpiece from his jacket pocket and placed it on his ear. "Excuse me. I have to take this call." The older man moved toward the kitchen area, putting as much distance as he could between them as he answered the call. "What's up?"

Ianto pretended to stare out at the vast panorama of New York City, straining, he was able to catch small parts of Jack's conversation to whomever called him.

"Oh? Put her on," Jack said, trying to keep his voice down. After a few moments pause, with Jack glancing over his shoulder to assure Ianto was where he left him, he started to speak again. "Hi sweetheart. What happened? Oh, you'll be okay." He made some murmuring sounds meant to comfort the person on the other side of the call. Ianto had the impression by the pitch of Jack's voice that he was speaking to a child. "All right, sweetheart. Give me a few minutes and I'll be there to kiss it better. I love you, too." Jack paused again. "Babe? Yeah, I can leave for a while. I'll be right there. How are you doing? You should be resting. Yes, I know. I'll call off duty for the night and we'll take care of that. I love you so much. See you in a few."

Ianto remained where he was, his eyes fixed on a spiral ahead of him, biting his lip. He knew it was inevitable, but to suddenly be faced by the prospect, he realized it cut him more than he wanted to admit.

"Ianto, I'm sorry. Family problems. I should have already been home, but I wanted to stay here until you woke up and were settled in. I'm really sorry."

Still staring ahead, Ianto started to speak, hoping his voice did not waver. "I understand, Jack. Family comes first, of course. I assume I'll be seeing you sometime tomorrow then?"

"If I could, I'd be back tonight, but I can't. I'm sorry. I have obligations." Jack sighed. "And young children who expect to see me before they go to bed."

"Go, Jack. I'll be all right." Under tight control, Ianto turned to face Jack, plastering a smile on his face. "I'm so glad to hear that you have a family who loves you. Go. Be with them. And I'll see you tomorrow."

"If you need anything, here are some numbers to call, including room service, and my duty officer for the night. And here's my number too. If it's something that you really need me for, don't hesitate to call."

"Sure." Ianto took the PDA Jack suddenly produced from his pocket. "Good night, Jack. And enjoy time with your family."

Jack could not help the bright sunny smile the thought of his family brought to his lips. "I will. Goodnight, Ianto."

Ianto watched as Jack left the suite. Once the door was closed, he went over to the sectional couch and dropped wearily on it. He was glad that Jack was able to move on and find love again. He was also able to have what he could not with Ianto. A family. He really was happy for Jack. He never wanted Jack to not move on once he was gone.

But then why did it hurt so much as he realized that Jack had once again found true love? It was obvious he had by the ringtone and the tone of his voice when talking to his current love, along with the smile that came to Jack's face. Ianto only hoped that he would one day be able to make Jack smile like that before it was time to leave him.

Ianto sat on the couch in the quiet suite, willing himself not to cry. He was not going to cry.

It didn't work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ianto had been dreaming the strangest dream. Or was it a nightmare, he considered briefly. He lay quietly, eyes still closed and his mind going back over the dream. It seemed to stretch out into infinity. A spiral that went on and on. And he had been falling through it, unsure where he was going, with no destination. Panic had filled him as he wondered if he would just fall through the spiral with no end. His head was hurting and he was dizzy. If he was able to in a dream, he would have thrown up. The sense of falling forever ended when he latched onto a voice and found himself following it. He couldn't recognize the voice, but felt it was right to follow it.

No longer dreaming, he still heard it.

"Ianto. Ianto, can you hear me? You have to open your eyes."

He finally recognized the voice and with effort, he opened his eyes. To find Jack Harkness' beautiful blue eyes staring down at him in concern.

But it seemed wrong. "Jack?" he croaked.

"Easy," Jack soothed, squeezing the hand he held. "You've been out for a while."

"What happened?"

"Rift manipulator," Jack replied. "It took you for a little trip, I'm afraid."

"Trip? Where?" Ianto tried to sit up, but Jack held him down with a hand on his chest.

"Slowly. It wasn't kind to you because your mind was not calibrated for it."

"Where did it take me? I don't remember." Ianto forced himself to remain focused on Jack's eyes. Something still felt wrong. Jack's eyes, for one. They seemed older, and yet younger at the same time. There were a few more crow's feet around the eyes Ianto knew so well.

"The future," Jack replied.

"The… future?" Ianto's concentration went away from Jack's face to the clothes the older man wore. Jack was wearing a blue and black striped shirt, tucked into a pair of black jeans. Ianto had seen Jack go without his braces occasionally, but rarely had he seen Jack out of his various colored workshirts and trousers. He wore a leather jacket that had an antique look to it, but was of a fashion Ianto had never seen before.

Jack nodded as he patted Ianto on the chest and drew his hands away. "Yes," he replied.

"And…." Ianto glanced around at the strange room. "Where am I?" He looked past Jack to his surroundings. It was a bland room, painted beige. On the wall across from the foot of the bed Ianto found himself in was a lighted panel. He slowly started to sit up. Jack did not stop him this time, his eyes watching Ianto carefully.

Jack looked at a wall with a heavy sigh.

"Jack?" Ianto warned. "Where the hell are we?" he demanded.

"New York City."

Ianto swung his feet over the edge of the narrow bed and sat up. "You said I went into the future. I look around me and nothing seems familiar, so I'm guessing I didn't return." He stared at Jack, willing the other man to look directly at him. "Besides, I would hate to think I was out long enough for you to move us to New York."

"No. You've been out of it for almost a day. Right. We're in the year 3253."

"I came here alone," Ianto stated, the situation suddenly snapping into place in his mind. "You're from here, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I'm future Jack, I guess you could say."

"How did I end up with you then? In New York?"

"I live here now," Jack replied. "Have for about 150 years."

"What happened to Cardiff? Torchwood?" Ianto asked.

"Are you hungry?" Jack asked suddenly.

"Not really."

"You should have something to eat. At the least, you should get hydrated."

"Where are we?" Ianto went to stand up, and Jack was at his side, steadying him.

"Slowly. Come with me, and I'll answer your questions."

With a supporting arm around Ianto, Jack led him to a door that opened automatically when they approached it.

Ianto looked around them as they walked down a long white corridor with a blue stripe running down the middle of the walls. The floor was covered with plush blue carpeting. "Where is this again?" he asked Jack.

"Torchwood New York."

"Now I've heard everything," Ianto muttered.

"You will. Just give me a few minutes to get you settled in the kitchen."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ianto sat in a chair at a dining table in what Jack told him was the kitchen for the sector they were in, watching as Jack made them tea. They hadn't spoken since they were in the corridor. Ianto was currently thinking back to the short trip from the room he found himself in. For half the walk, Jack maintained an arm around Ianto for support, but once it was obvious Ianto had regained his footing and was not going to collapse on him, he pulled his arm away and kept a small distance between them. Ianto had also noticed a distance while Jack had his arm around him.

As he studied the fixtures of the gray smoked plexi-glass, silver and gray marble kitchen, Ianto realized it had to be well over a thousand years since Jack had been with him. He had a lot of questions. Questions he knew were better left unanswered. He felt sad that he was in a time long after his own demise. He had to wonder what was going on in Jack's head. Was he reminded of what they once had? Did he realize how much the Captain missed him? Or did he move on completely? Ianto was not sure if the lack of any reaction to his showing up in that time from Jack was due to the other having had at least a few hours, or was it that Ianto so firmly in Jack's past that he did not miss him at all.

Ianto knew it was unfair of him. A millennia had gone by. Jack should be able to move on and not be weighed down by the past. It was not Jack's fault that Ianto was unable to share it with the immortal.

Jack sat down at the table, setting a cup of tea before Ianto and one in his place. A plate of biscuits was between them. "You're wanting answers, I suppose," Jack said with a weak smile after taking a sip of his tea.

"Tea?" Ianto raised an eyebrow.

Jack shrugged. "After all this time, I never mastered making coffee like you can. Not that I gave it up, mind you. Besides, our med officer suggested to keep you away from caffeine for now. I'm to keep you up to your eyeballs in non-caffeinated tea and juices. You're due for a check up in a few hours."

Ianto found himself attempting not to smile.

"Go ahead," Jack said with a knowing look, his eyebrow raised. "I never did forget you, if that's what you want to know." He grinned as Ianto flushed. "You're unforgettable, Mr. Jones."

"So, New York?" Ianto asked, changing what was quickly becoming a difficult topic for him. "How did that happen?"

"Torchwood Cardiff is still in operation. There's a new team, quite competent, and I'm available for a quick trip to help out if they need it. Torchwood New York is…" Jack leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "You know, everything changed. We now have ships going off to space ports for travel and colonization on other worlds. We have aliens who are not threats to the Earth traveling and living on Earth. Torchwood expanded because we decided we were not going to allow UNIT complete jurisdiction over off-world VISAs. We're now funded by the United Nations, just like UNIT, but they more or less do our grunt work for us. All Torchwood branches have UNIT members working at them."

"And New York?" Ianto asked again.

Jack laughed. "I am 'American', aren't I?"

"You've done so much for Queen and country," Ianto mused. "And we both know you're not American."

"Now it's for the world. No one monarch. New York is the new headquarters for Torchwood. It's still taking shape. But it was time to leave Cardiff. While it grew in population, with technology as it is, it was harder to keep secrets and arouse suspicion. So it was time to move. New York is easier to blend in for a few hundred years or so. I'm still Jack, but I also changed my last name again. To what, I'm not going to tell you. And I'm known more as Director than Captain."

"Well," Ianto took a sip of tea, mentally digesting what the future Jack had divulged. "Isn't it dangerous for me to know all this?" he asked.

"If you sit down and think about it, you'll realize it's something we both knew would eventually happen. So…." Jack shrugged.

"And if I'm stuck here, that hardly matters anyway," Ianto replied. "Should I return, you're going to Retcon me, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry, Ianto. I'm more than certain you make it back. Assuming we don't muck it up on this side. I remember this. I remember you were missing for three days and I was so scared I lost you forever. But you came back. With some of your memories stripped. You remembered going somewhere, but specifics you didn't know. It was a mystery until earlier today when you suddenly appeared in my office and collapsed."

"I remember the device we found. You said it enabled time travel."

"Obviously, it was triggered telepathically."

"But I'm not a telepath."

"Everyone is in some degree. If I remember your testing back at Torchwood One, you did test slightly higher than average. Which makes it my guess that it made the difference between you being trapped somewhere alone, or you ending up here."

Ianto put down his tea cup and stared at Jack in question.

"When it pulled you into the vortex, your mind focused on me. So, the device sent you to me. Just so happened it's me in this time. It could have been a me in anytime, anywhere in the universe." Jack smiled gently. "Makes me believe that we had a bond we were unaware of back then. But that's what brought you to me. At least you're among friends, while we try to send you back where you belong."

"What's the problem? I'm guessing if I did it once, I can do it again."

"You might. But you'll have to focus your thoughts more, or you'll just end up traveling from time to time, finding different Jack's through time. It's going to take some training. I have someone working on a program to help you attune to the device to help your control. And you'll need to do some mental exercises so you can focus clearly on me back where you left from." Jack spread his hands. "It could take a day, or weeks. Depending on you. So in the meantime, we're prepared to make you as comfortable as possible. While I know you'll go back with no memories of what you learn here, there are some things it's best you not know. I'm not sure how it would affect the flux of time and space. You'll have to trust me, Ianto. Whatever I do that might not seem fair to you, it's for your own good, to get you back to where you belong. If nothing else, I need you, Ianto. More than you realize. I need to get you back home."

"But you just said I do return," Ianto protested.

"Yes. But it's not set in stone. It's in flux and it could change what came to be. Are you ready to see your quarters for your stay? I'd offer you a tour first, but you still need some rest. I'll come back for you later and take you on a tour of Torchwood New York." Jack stood up.

Ianto also stood up, picking up his empty cup. Jack shook his head, smiling slightly.

"Leave it, Ianto. We have people to pick up after us." Jack went over to Ianto and grasped him by his bicep. "Let's go."

Ianto found himself being guided by Jack from the kitchen to a lift. Ianto was able to see the mechanisms of the lift through the glass back wall. As they climbed up several levels, the mechanisms of the lift were replaced by a view of New York City. "That answers one of my questions," Ianto commented dryly. "I assume Torchwood New York is a tower?" As he looked over to Jack, he could not help the shiver that ran through him.

"So is Torchwood Cardiff. We still use part of what was the original Hub, but parts of it have been destroyed. We still have the vaults, and the archives for most of the more dangerous items in the old Hub, but we built upward on the lot behind the Wales Millennium Center. Five stories. Most of it is labs and monitoring stations. Now here in New York…." The lift stopped and Ianto stared at the panel, noting they were on the 52nd floor. "Our building is divided into sections. You'll see it all later. There are offices, labs, archives, and public relations and communication/monitoring sections. We're currently in the living section. The upper floors are for those associates who prefer to live close to work. Otherwise, they'd be traveling in from the outer boroughs. We pay well, but not enough for the majority to afford living in Manhattan. All real estate in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx that has a view of Manhattan is also sky high. Again, I'll explain it all later. Let's just suffice to say, we make it affordable for our lower level associates to live in this city. We also have guest quarters, and a few floors with suites and hotel service. This is one of those floors." Jack smiled at him as they left the lift. He removed a card from his jacket pocket. "You have the best suite we have for your stay. I hope you be comfortable in it." Jack led them down a hallway with walls painted in swirls of cool colors of blues and greens. The flooring was hardwood with a runner of a sea green shade going down the hallway. Near the end of the corridor, Jack stopped them before a door and handed Ianto the card. "Standard keycard. No huge trick in using it."

Ianto took the offered card and unlocked the door. "I presume I woke up in your medical section?" he asked, gazing around the loft-like room. It was open and airy, with a wall of windows looking out over the city, with a patio beyond the windows. Ianto noticed that New York City hadn't changed too much. Thought there were some new buildings that went up higher and had interesting spirals and shapes toward the tops. He also figured out that the Torchwood New York tower was not one of the tallest buildings in the city.

"It's an amazing view at night. So many colors in the skyline these days. You have doors to the patio over there," Jack said, pointing toward French doors of metal, "as well as from your bedroom. Which is up those stairs there." Jack indicated a metal curved staircase, but it was not as narrow or tight as a standard spiral staircase. "Someone will be arriving with some food staples for you, but you're also welcome to use the cafeteria on the 10th floor. If you're up to it, you are free to do your own shopping later. Once we find someone to accompany you."

"Why can't you?"

"Whenever I have the time, I'd be delighted to," Jack said. "But my off time is… complicated."

"Complicated, huh? Some things never change with you even after 1200 years."

"Yeah well…." Jack grinned ruefully. The grin left his face when he was interrupted by music. Ianto recognized the song as "Heaven" by Bryan Adams. Jack removed an earpiece from his jacket pocket and placed it on his ear. "Excuse me. I have to take this call." The older man moved toward the kitchen area, putting as much distance as he could between them as he answered the call. "What's up?"

Ianto pretended to stare out at the vast panorama of New York City, straining, he was able to catch small parts of Jack's conversation to whomever called him.

"Oh? Put her on," Jack said, trying to keep his voice down. After a few moments pause, with Jack glancing over his shoulder to assure Ianto was where he left him, he started to speak again. "Hi sweetheart. What happened? Oh, you'll be okay." He made some murmuring sounds meant to comfort the person on the other side of the call. Ianto had the impression by the pitch of Jack's voice that he was speaking to a child. "All right, sweetheart. Give me a few minutes and I'll be there to kiss it better. I love you, too." Jack paused again. "Babe? Yeah, I can leave for a while. I'll be right there. How are you doing? You should be resting. Yes, I know. I'll call off duty for the night and we'll take care of that. I love you so much. See you in a few."

Ianto remained where he was, his eyes fixed on a spiral ahead of him, biting his lip. He knew it was inevitable, but to suddenly be faced by the prospect, he realized it cut him more than he wanted to admit.

"Ianto, I'm sorry. Family problems. I should have already been home, but I wanted to stay here until you woke up and were settled in. I'm really sorry."

Still staring ahead, Ianto started to speak, hoping his voice did not waver. "I understand, Jack. Family comes first, of course. I assume I'll be seeing you sometime tomorrow then?"

"If I could, I'd be back tonight, but I can't. I'm sorry. I have obligations." Jack sighed. "And young children who expect to see me before they go to bed."

"Go, Jack. I'll be all right." Under tight control, Ianto turned to face Jack, plastering a smile on his face. "I'm so glad to hear that you have a family who loves you. Go. Be with them. And I'll see you tomorrow."

"If you need anything, here are some numbers to call, including room service, and my duty officer for the night. And here's my number too. If it's something that you really need me for, don't hesitate to call."

"Sure." Ianto took the PDA Jack suddenly produced from his pocket. "Good night, Jack. And enjoy time with your family."

Jack could not help the bright sunny smile the thought of his family brought to his lips. "I will. Goodnight, Ianto."

Ianto watched as Jack left the suite. Once the door was closed, he went over to the sectional couch and dropped wearily on it. He was glad that Jack was able to move on and find love again. He was also able to have what he could not with Ianto. A family. He really was happy for Jack. He never wanted Jack to not move on once he was gone.

But then why did it hurt so much as he realized that Jack had once again found true love? It was obvious he had by the ringtone and the tone of his voice when talking to his current love, along with the smile that came to Jack's face. Ianto only hoped that he would one day be able to make Jack smile like that before it was time to leave him.

Ianto sat on the couch in the quiet suite, willing himself not to cry. He was not going to cry.

It didn't work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Instead of sleeping, Ianto found himself up, sitting in one of the chairs on the patio, as he stared down at Central Park. He had never been to New York before, but saw enough photos to compare the city then to the 33rd century. Central Park remained unchanged, as far as he could see, even if many of the buildings surrounding it had changed.

While staring out at the city, he thought back on the day. It had started off pleasant enough. He woke up with Jack, in his own bed, instead of cramped on the cot in Jack's cubbyhole under his office. They had had breakfast on the Quay before going into the Hub. A pre-date, Jack had called it. Ianto had considered it a post-date also, since they had gone out on another date the night before and Jack had gone back to Ianto's. They had plans to go out again that night – Rift permitting.

Damn that Rift, Ianto mentally cursed. It did not permit them. Instead, according to what he had been told upon arriving here, Jack had spent the night fighting back fears of never seeing him again.

Meanwhile Ianto was stuck a millennia away, in New York – of all places – with a Jack who had obviously moved on without him.

Ianto was keenly feeling his own mortality. When he wasn't thinking about that, his thoughts were on how he and Jack were finally becoming a couple in what he was able to define as a relationship, and now he was seeing the end of it. As much as he tried not to let it, it hurt him. He was happy for his lover. It was what he hoped for Jack. It still broke his own heart, knowing he would lose Jack one day in the future. As the man who looked like his lover, but wasn't, explained to him earlier, some things he was better off not knowing. Ianto realized this was one of them. And yet knowing Jack was happy oddly made it worth the pain.

About two hours after Jack left him to join his family, the older man called to give Ianto advance notice that Torchwood's chief medical officer was on his way to see him. The tall man with blond hair who appeared at his door not long after introduced himself as Isaac Radzinsky. He escorted Ianto back to the medical section. A half hour later, the doctor declared Ianto healthy, but gave him warning to continue to keep himself hydrated.

He was then introduced to a woman who went simply by the name Xana. She looked human at first glance, but Ianto started to notice her skin tone was more a true blush pink than what was normal for humans. And her eyes were silver. She explained that she was half-human, her mother's family settling in New York two generations ago, traveling far across the universe. Xana was the Chief Telepathist and was tasked to train Ianto, so they could calibrate the vortex device to his mind. They worked for about an hour before he was allowed to go back to his quarters with instruction to relax for the rest of the day. He was told that Jack had plans to take him shopping late the next morning, and that he was scheduled to be picked up to work on training his mind to the device in the afternoon. By the end of the next day, Xana was hoping to give an estimate on how long it would take before Ianto would be able to use the device and go home.

Ianto walked over to the decorative rail that surrounded the patio. Instead of looking down, he looked up to the slightly more narrow top floors of the New York Torchwood Tower. That was where the executives had their living quarters, apparently appointed more elegantly than his own finely designed suite. On the very top was the penthouse that Jack shared with his family. If he listened hard enough, he could hear the sounds of children squealing and laughter. He thought he even heard Jack's rich chuckle drift down.

He was told he was not a prisoner, but a guest, and was allowed to leave the tower. He was armed with phone numbers to call should he get lost. Ianto decided to take advantage of it. He would not go far enough to get lost, but a walk in the park sounded lovely to him. Anything to get away from the reminder that he was in a world where he was alone, while Jack had found everything Ianto wished he was able to give his lover.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Ianto, are you even trying to concentrate?" Jack asked, sounding exasperated. "According to Xana's initial assessment, she had you ready to use the device by tomorrow. Now, at the rate you're going, it would take another week." Jack leaned against the counter in the executive break room, and sighed heavily.

Ianto glared over at Jack from his seat at a nearby dining table. He had been in this future world for two days, and in that time, he was able to count the hours Jack spent time around him on one hand. The time they were actually alone was even less. It was a mixed blessing to Ianto. He missed his Jack and was able to find some comfort among the confusion of finding himself in the future when he was in the presence of the man who had been his lover over 1200 years ago. There were times, however short, where it felt like there was no gap in time at all for them. The shared looks, the smiles, the little jokes, they were exactly the same as if it was his Jack there with him. There was one thing that reminded Ianto all was not as it appeared and that was this Jack was not his lover anymore. He belonged to someone else. Someone Ianto could tell Jack loved very much and was happy with.

Jack had also done a good job in hiding his new identity of that time. Ianto's access within Torchwood was limited, be it inside the building or on the computers. He had so far seen the floor his suite was on and the lift to the medical section. For one of the daily breaks, Jack would bring him up to the break room they now occupied, and like the other times, they were the only two there. Ianto could take a good guess that Torchwood employed at least a couple of hundred people, the ones he was able to speak to was also limited. The information Ianto was able to get from the others was no more than what Jack had told him.

It made Ianto feel isolated, which he realized he was in a way. At least he wasn't a prisoner. He was free to leave the tower to explore the city on his own. The day before Isaac had taken Ianto sightseeing around the city, before leaving the misplaced man on his own. Like his relationship with Jack, the world seemed unchanged in many ways, but there were others that made Ianto realize this was not even his Earth.

He wanted to go home, to be with Jack, and Gwen and Toshiko and yes, even Owen. It did little for his patience. So at Jack's latest comment, Ianto snapped.

"Are you that anxious to be rid of me, Jack?" He stood up and approached the other man, who suddenly had the stricken look of a frightened animal. "Is that it? Do you despise me now?"

"N-no. I could never hate you, Ianto. Never. But I need you to go home as soon as possible. I need you safe where you belong. With me. You still have so much you need to do, and we can't screw this up. Ianto, if I don't get you back, there's a chance that you'll change the present for me. And I can't lose that." Jack turned away from Ianto.

Ianto's eyes were wide and he bit his lip to keep the tears from falling. "You don't care about me," he accused, holding onto his anger. "You might have once. 1200 years ago, but that's a long time, isn't it, Jack? I'm a damn fool to think you can still care. All you," he jabbed Jack on his chest, "care about is protecting what you have. Meanwhile what do I have in this world?!? Nothing, that's what!"

Ianto stared at Jack. The immortal looked heartbroken. Ianto's eyes fell on the red and gray shirt with a v-neck collar that Jack wore. His leather jacket was on the back of the chair he had occupied when Ianto came into the room. The clothes and the jacket were just another reminder of how this was not his Jack, and could never be. Ianto was no longer sure what he expected from Jack, since he was not a home wrecker and it was obvious Jack had a very happy home life.

"Oh God, Jack. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean… I…" He pushed away from Jack and ran from the room. And kept running. He wasn'treally surprised when Jack didn't follow after him. He had pushed the other man enough to knock him off his feet. If Ianto was quick enough, he would be able to get out of the building before Jack could contact anyone to stop him.

He was not running away. He just needed to get away for a couple of hours, try to get his head together. All the turmoil of his emotions were getting in the way of his progress to get home. If he was honest with himself, he had more of a reason to get home than Jack had to make sure he did. He wanted his Jack again, and his dysfunctional, yet wonderful family that made up Torchwood Three.

He continued to run, across the wide street and into the park. He didn't slow down. And he didn't see the ball rolling on the ground towards him until it was under his foot and he found himself falling. A child was close by, most likely about to get the ball, and he twisted so he would not fall on the little girl. Once they both hit the ground, the girl started to cry.

"Are you hurt?" Ianto asked in concern.

"I want my Taddy to kiss my boo-boo!" the girl sniffled. She glanced up at Ianto. "My Daddy always tells me to watch where I run. You should too."

"Why of course. I was wrong and…."

"Charlene, what happened?" Ianto heard a familiar voice ask. The tone was of panic and worry.

The little girl, Charlene, picked herself up and away from Ianto and threw herself at a man who joined them.

Ianto gazed up at the child, who hugged her father's leg, and looked back at Ianto. The little girl had Jack's eyes. And his mouth. His gaze went up to the father. His mouth dropped open.

"You're… you're… Oh shit!" Ianto fainted.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Oh crap," Charlene's father muttered.

"Taddy said a bad word," said little Charlene, giggling. The child still hugged her father's leg and looked up at him with impish eyes that reminded him more of himself, despite the child having Jack's color and set.

Charlene looked back when she heard the sound of little feet running on the path from not far away and watched as a second girl approached. The newcomer was a mirror image to Charlene, except her clothes, while they had the same style were in contrasting colors. The second child started to giggle, having been not far away and also hearing her father. Her giggling stopped as she looked at Ianto, who lay on the ground, still not moving. Her blue eyes were wide as she stared.

She tugged on her father's other pant leg, while Charlene clung to the other. "Taddy?" She pointed at Ianto, her face scrunched up with confusion.

Charlene's amused look changed as she really looked at the man who scared her by almost falling onto her. "Ohhh…." She put her hand up to cover her mouth.

The twins looked up to stare at their father.

"Hush now," the man said, sparing a hand to ruffle each child's hair. "There's your ball. Go play right over there, where I can see you."

A boy around ten years-old ran over to them. "Now where did you squirts get into…?" His eyes settled on the man on the ground. "Oh shit!"

"Language, Eric," the man warned, as he took out a small device from his jacket pocket and put it in his ear.

"But you said a bad word, Taddy," Charlene's sister commented.

"Because I'm the Taddy. That's why, Darlene."

"Tad?" Eric asked. "Are you going to help him?"

"I'm calling your dad, if you heathens will allow me," the father remarked.

"Should you, like maybe check his pulse? What if he's…?" Eric stared at the unconscious Ianto with big bright blue eyes. "What about you, Tad?" he asked as he looked back to his father.

"I'm fine, Eric, and I intend to stay that way. And I'd know if he wasn't. Believe me, I'd know. Anyway, I'm not sure if I should touch him or not. Now let me call your dad, and let him sort out this problem. Please take the twins over there and play ball for a while?" he asked his son.

"What would happen if you touch him?" Eric asked, intrigued.

"I might implode. Now let me handle this. Please, Eric."

"What's implode, Taddy?" Charlene asked.

"Go play, imp, and I'll tell you later," the father said, in a tone that told the children they had best listen to him.

Eric glanced at his father's face and ushered the two girls to go play.

"Jack," he said as he heard the comm open. "We have a situation."

"Tell me about situations. I lost you… I mean him. I mean Ianto."

"He's right here, Jack."

"Here? Where's here? Where are you?"

"Central Park, near the carousel. I think he tripped on the twins' ball. He took Charlene down with him, but she's fine. And he's starting to wake up. He passed out when he saw me. I didn't realize who it was until he looked up and saw me. I was more concerned about Charlene. I was not expecting him in the park at this time anyway. He was supposed to be working in Torchwood for at least a few more hours. So you assured me. Fuck, Jack! What do we do?"

He could hear Jack's grimace through the comm. "You know, after all this time, I can still hear Gwen saying, _I told you so_, about keeping things hidden. I'm on my way out of the Tower. Try to pacify him. And whatever you do, don't touch. Keep a distance from him. I'm not sure what exactly will happen, but I can't take a chance. With any of you. I'll do a scan when I get there."

"Jack, it's not your fault. For one, avoiding… well this. For another, the more he doesn't know, the less we have to erase from his mind. We still can't take chances."

"Hang on. I'm entering the park. Be there soon, love."

"Please hurry. The kids saw him and I know they're confused and will be expecting an explanation."

"How's Ianto doing?"

"Sitting up. I think he's about to be rudely reminded why he was out cold."

"We'll deal. We'll explain everything and hope to hell we don't screw too much up."

"It happens in three years, his time, Jack." Jack's lover turned away from Ianto, taking a couple of steps further away and speaking low. "I hardly think a good dose of Retcon will change what is to be for him."

"I don't want to take the chance of having to Retcon him back to his high school years. I won't take too kindly to that if he was returned to me like that."

"We won't, Jack. Keep checking your memories to guide you."

"You're bloody brilliant, did you know that?" Jack commented, sounding amazed.

"Of course I do. Oh, oh. Where are you? He's about to talk and I don't have a bloody idea what to do with him."

"Look across the field."

The man looked in the direction Jack should be approaching from. "Right. I'll see you in a minute or two then." The man turned towards Ianto, who was sitting up and blinking, while studying the man before him.

"Hi," the man said. "Forgive me for scaring you. I'm Sean Jones. I'm Jack's partner. And you must be the ex."

Ianto remained staring, unsure if he could will his brain to function enough for a coherent response.

Sean gave Ianto a smirk. "Honestly, that Jack." He rolled his eyes. "Always having exes falling through time on us. At least you're not John Hart."

"No. Oh hell no. And he bloody well better not join this party," Ianto was able to mutter, causing Sean to grin.

"I agree."

"Hello boys," Jack's voice interrupted. Both men turned toward the voice to watch Jack step in between them.

Jack offered his hand to Ianto to help him to his feet. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Ianto glared mildly at him and rolled his eyes. "You should know the answer to that one."

Sean let out a chuckle. "Dignity will always be lost. Time won't change that, I'm afraid."

"There's more that scares me than a loss of dignity," Ianto muttered as he accepted Jack's help. He straightened his shirt and waistcoat and peered at Sean. "Well, now this is utterly embarrassing, I suppose."

Darlene and Charlene ran over to hug Jack's legs. "Daddy!" they both exclaimed happily, greeting their other father.

"Who's he?" Darlene asked, pointing to Ianto.

"Is he Taddy's twin, like we are?" Charlene asked.

"Hmm…" Jack shrugged, quickly thinking up an explanation. "Yeah. He's your Uncle Ianto, but he's from far away. So this might be your only chance to see him."

Darlene clapped her hands. "Hello Unca Yanto. Did you come to see us?" she asked.

With a roguish grin that was so Jack, reminding Ianto that while things change, there were some things that didn't change, even after 1200 years, the older man winked at Ianto. "He sure did, baby," Jack replied.

"Yay!" Charlene exclaimed. "Hi Unca Yanto. Eric!" she called excitedly called out. "Come and say hello to Unca Yanto. He's Taddy's twin. Like me 'n Darly."

"Well, hello there, young ladies," Ianto greeted the two little girls, as he stared in amazement at them.

"Hold on now," Jack called out. "Isn't that Sheila?" Jack pointed to a dark skinned woman walking along the path to join them. "Sheila's their nanny. She gives us a hand when Sean and I are busy," he explained to Ianto. To the children, he said, "Go on you three. Tell Sheila that Daddy said it's okay to go on the carousel."

"But what about Unca Yanto?" Charlene asked.

"You can play with him later. Okay?" Jack once again looked at Ianto.

"That sounds lovely. I'll be delighted," Ianto replied

"Don't forget, Unca Yanto," Darlene called out, following her brother towards their nanny. Charlene waved as she skipped along next to her twin.

"I won't forget," Ianto called out. "Have fun."

The kids called goodbye to their fathers and then the three were alone.

Jack opened his comm. "Sheila, we'll be at the Old Dairy Café. Can you keep the kids occupied for a while?" He grinned at whatever her reply was. "Thanks, doll." He shut off his comm. and looked at the two men. To Ianto he said, "Those were my kids, of course. Some of them. We have a few older ones. Two are heading Torchwood Cardiff and London. We have one in UNIT. And another in interplanetary commerce – the legal kind, unlike her dad once was. But those three are the youngest Jones children. Well, until this one is born." With a big warm smile, Jack gently patted the swell of Sean's belly. "And this is my wonderful partner of all time, Sean Jones." He took Sean's hand in his. "Which, of course, officially makes me, Jack Jones."

Ianto could not help but chuckle. "You and your old-time singers."

"Well, I did like his music, but not as much as the music Sean and I make." His eyes glittered wickedly as he winked at Ianto. "Let's go and sit down. I'm sure Sean is wanting to be off his feet by now. Am I right, love?" he asked his partner.

"Please. I'm sure Ianto will welcome it too, after that little shock of his."

"Definitely," Ianto agreed. "This is more of a shock than waking up 1200 years in the future."

As Jack led them to a building that looked like a Victorian age dairy barn, Ianto could not stop staring at Sean.

"Sean?" Ianto asked. "Why Sean?"

"Because Jack and I refuse to use John. You know, the pesty ex problem of Jack's," Sean replied, looking amused, but his eyes reflected how he still strongly disliked Captain John Hart.

"Ah, I understand," Ianto replied. "Of course. I'll have to say that I agree."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

They were seated at an outside table of the café with no one sitting close to them, and they ordered tea and coffee, along with pie. The Dairy Café was the 6th replica of the original Victorian building built in the park in 1870. Like most of New York City's landmark buildings, when the structural integrity of a building was compromised, it was either reinforced using new building technology or torn down and rebuilt as an exact replica.

Jack sat next to Sean and across the table from Ianto. He gave the misplaced man a crooked grin. "How are you holding up?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Ianto replied. His eyes went to Sean as he continued to talk. "I'm finding myself in an awkward situation."

"And that might be?" Sean asked.

"I believe that I'm actually jealous of…." Ianto paused to clear his throat. "Myself," he finished. "Now how is this possible?" His eyes flicked to Jack. "More time travel?" he asked.

Jack shook his head slowly as he sighed. "Ianto, our oldest child, from this batch is 87 years old. Now how do you work in time travel when Sean doesn't look a year over 35?" He raised his eyebrows, daring Ianto to figure out the truth for himself.

Ianto sat back in his seat, and as he sipped his coffee, he looked at Jack expectedly, as if he was waiting for an explanation.

"I was hoping to keep some complications away from you until it was time to deal with them," Jack admitted. "Meaning back there, where you belong. I understand now why we decided to Retcon you. You can't go back knowing the future. Especially your future." He spread his hands helplessly. "As much as I'd love for you to take back some forewarning."

"Tell me what happened, Jack," Ianto insisted.

"I shouldn't. We have new methods of Retcon. We can strip away just what is needed and leave the rest of the memories intact, instead of losing full chunks which could be a day or two, or even more. But that only works when there isn't too much knowledge to erase. It would have been a simple procedure for you. Until now. Sean has been staying up in our penthouse unless he felt it was absolutely safe for him to leave. Obviously in his condition, we don't push him too much anyway. When we've been working in the telepathy labs, I would call Sean. It was his chance to get out for a while. He thought it was safe to take the kids to the park. We live across from it, so it's the kids' normal stomping ground." He lightly slapped his hand on the table top. "I know this is a difficult situation for you, and even if I'm here with you, you should be where you belong, with the me of that time. I wish I could send you back with the hope that what we have doesn't have to end." Jack's face grew dark. "I wish I could let you go back with warning of what's coming up."

Ianto watched as Jack visibly closed up. As if he wasn't going to say anything more on the topic. Sean placed his hand over Jack's and squeezed it in reassurance. Jack allowed Sean to lift the hand to his mouth and kiss it. A small smile crossed Jack's lips, but the warmth was radiant. Meanwhile, Ianto found himself grinding his teeth. He knew he was being completely irrational with his jealousy. But he wanted to have Jack's hand in his, feel Jack's skin under his lips, and Jack's mouth on him. At that moment, he had to go without it. If he couldn't be trained to use the vortex device, he would never get home.

He took a deep breath, his eyes on Jack. The older man pulled his hand away from Sean, giving him a loving smile. When he turned back to Ianto, he lost the warmth. Ianto saw misery and pain in Jack's eyes as the older man fought to keep from divulging too much.

With a look of determination, Ianto pinned Jack with a stare. "Jack, you already told me that I returned blank on what happened while I was gone. Wouldn't that indicate you should tell me?" His eyes went back to Sean. "Because whether it's only for a few more hours, or months, I need to know what happened. I won't be able to concentrate on anything else, until I do."

"You know he's telling the truth," Sean stated quietly.

Jack opened his mouth to protest, only to snap it close. He looked over to Sean with a resigned look.

Sean pointed to his temple. "It already happened, Jack. And we both know we can't alter our pasts. What's done is done and now we've finally learned what had happened here, after so long in the dark." When Jack remained silent, Sean grasped Jack's hand in his and rubbed his thumb along the back of his hand. "You know better. What was it you learned in the Time Agency?"

"That you can't change your own personal history and that some things are never meant to be changed, even if we never know why."

Ianto had to smirk. It was obvious the couple had been through this already in private.

Sean looked over to Ianto. "Jack joined the Time Agency with the motive of one day going back to prevent himself from letting go of Gray's hand."

Jack sighed and leaned forward heavily on the table. "I was young, enthusiastic and naïve back then. Which also means I was stupid. My superiors flushed out my real motives pretty early on and explained why I couldn't do what I had planned. Why I couldn't send anyone." He started to frown. "Except I'm pretty sure I didn't let them convince me completely. It's possible that I attempted it anyway and they took those two years of my memories. I know that it took years until I remembered that I had lost Gray and that he was not back at home with Mom and Dad. By then, I had already met the Doctor and was stuck in the past. In New bloody York, of all places." He shook his head.

Ianto started to laugh as he looked up and out to the field near the café, and the new Wolman skating rink, with the tall buildings along the park's perimeter, towering over it. "And you saw all the changes from then to now. I'm impressed."

Jack lifted his head to gaze at the spiraling towers beyond the park. "I remember Manhattan being more grazing field than a city," he said softly. "And no, Sean, I didn't distract myself."

"In that case, may I remind you what you would be doing right now if you hadn't let go of Gray's hand?"

Jack traced an abstract pattern on the table top. "Nothing," he replied. "I most likely wouldn't be here." He lifted his head, but his eyes met Ianto's and not Sean's. "I was never interested in the Time Agency until I lost Gray and Dad. As I just told you, I only joined with hopes of preventing it. I would've loved to save them both, but even if we lost Dad, Mom's heart wouldn't have been so broken if I had returned home with Gray."

"So as logic would have it, if Jack never joined the Time Agency, he would never have had his mind wiped of those two years. Which in turn wouldn't have caused him to go rogue and even have the reasons to be in London during the Blitz, and thus leading to him meeting Rose and the Doctor. He wouldn't have done that. No immortal Jack. No Jack to take over Torchwood, no Jack for Ianto. Nothing. Jack would have lived and died in the 51st century. And I shiver to think of how much worse it would be for it. How much worse everything would be. Not just for Cardiff, but for the world. And for you." Sean gave Ianto a grin. "And me."

"And how did you manage to get here?" Ianto had to ask.

"Gray," Sean stated. "Something to do with Gray."

"So you found your brother after all?" Ianto asked Jack.

"More like he found me," Jack replied with a wince. "It wasn't the happy reunion I had hoped through all those years. He was changed during his captivity by those creatures." He paused, taking a deep breath to reign in his emotions. Time did not make it easier to talk about what had become of his brother. "He was insane. By the time he found me, he was hell-bent on revenge. Since he knew I couldn't die, he decided to destroy everything I cared about. Everything and everyone. We stopped him, but not soon enough." Jack's voice was rough as he spoke. "Cardiff suffered major damage and…." He choked his eyes glittering with unshed tears.

Sean remained sitting next to him, the pain in his blue eyes betraying his otherwise serene composure. "You'll lose someone," he admitted to Ianto, "but since you won't remember, no use in giving names and causing any more agony than necessary."

"From our team?" Ianto asked, perturbed. "Or friends?" He studied first Sean, who decided to drop a hand on his swollen stomach and rub small soothing circles on the bump, and then his attention went to Jack, who had just drained his coffee and placed the mug down on the table with a thud. From what he saw in the eyes of the two men before him, he knew it was someone from the team. "Right." He sighed, his fingers tapping on the tabletop. "It's obvious you and I survive, but…." He thought of the three others he left behind: Gwen, Toshiko and Owen. They already had gone through the pain of loss with Owen. Despite their seeming to not get along, Owen's death had hurt Ianto deeply. However, like the miserable sod Owen was, he came back and decided to physically haunt time as the living dead. Much of that was Jack's fault, but seeing Owen every day brought some comfort. They had beat death at least for another day. Ianto didn't want to think about losing him again. He didn't want to consider not having Toshiko and Gwen around either.

Jack reached across the table and took Ianto's hand in his, squeezing it. Ianto found himself sighing, drawing some comfort from the touch that was so desperately needed, even if he had to start thinking that this Jack wasn't his Jack. Not yet. Not for another 1200 years.

"We'll overcome," Jack started softly. "We'll go on. But I also froze my brother in a cryogenic cell. I couldn't kill him. Not only because he was my brother, but… Ianto, there was so much death already. Too much. So I froze him. Maybe I thought with time, he could be cured. But…." Jack released Ianto's hand and looked to Sean for help when he found he couldn't continue.

"Three years later, we have an explosion in the Hub," Sean picked up the story from Jack. "It knocked the cell offline. Instead of killing Gray, it woke him up," he explained.

"Sean will say that the in-laws are as bad as the exes," Jack tried to joke weakly. He gave Ianto a tired smile.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ianto was studying both men again as he finished his pie. After rinsing it down with some coffee, the men paused while their cups were refilled by a waitress. Once they were alone again, he asked, "When you say exes, how many are we talking about?"

Sean rolled his eyes. "Just the one, but he's equal to an army of exes, if you ask me. And I know you already agree."

Jack smirked and shook his head. "You'll have to deal with John two more times. Especially the third time. But at least we haven't seen him since then." He gazed at Sean. "It seems he got your message loud and clear, yeah?"

"It would seem so," Sean agreed, with a smirk of his own.

"What happened?" Ianto asked.

"He left in a bit of a hobble," Sean replied.

"After the bullet was removed from his upper inner thigh," Jack explained.

"I told him that no, it was not a misaim and that I shot him exactly where I wanted, and the next time I would not be so generous," Sean stated.

Ianto's eyebrows shot up and he let out a guffaw. "Really? I look forward to that opportunity." The gleam in his eyes told the other two men it was no lie.

"If you feel that way now, wait until you get to when you do it. It was quite satisfying, but I'll admit I was hoping he would have given me a reason to hit the target," said Sean.

Ianto and Jack chuckled. "And that's the saga of the ex. There were other encounters with in-laws," Jack explained. "Other than Gray. I went through the inquisition when Sean's family found out about us."

"At least none of my relatives attempted to kill you," Sean pointed out.

"Except your nephew," Jack retorted. "Remember he did me in with his truck."

Sean rolled his eyes. "That was purely an accident, Jack. And the toy truck was big enough not to miss. Except for you." With an amused look, he gazed at Jack. To Ianto, he added, "Jack tripped over my nephew's truck and ended up stumbling until he fell down the stairs."

"It's embarrassing to break your neck in your lover's family's home – literally. And then gasp back to life with them watching."

"Oh dear," said Ianto amusedly. "I suppose coffee and Retcon was served that night?"

"Of course," said Sean. "Too bad it didn't stick with Rhi."

"Rhi fought off the Retcon? Actually that makes sense," Ianto said of his sister. "She was always too stubborn for her own good."

"Agreed."

Jack finished his pie in the comfortable silence that followed. He glanced at his watch, noting he had to get back to Torchwood soon. He had meetings in the afternoon that he hoped would not last past dinner. And Ianto needed to get back and work with Xana for at least a few hours. Noticing that both Sean and Ianto were finished with their snacks, Jack started to lift his hand to get their waitress' attention for the check.

"We're not done yet, Jack," Ianto stated quietly. When Jack cast him a guilty look, he added, "I'm glad we had a chance to relax together like this and as a bonus gave you a chance to compose yourself, but I still need to know what happened to make it possible for him to still be with you. And…" Ianto's eyes fell on Sean's bump, that was partially hidden by the table, "pregnant." He stroked his hand down along his own flat, hard stomach under his waistcoat and red shirt. "Last I checked, I'm like every other human male and can't get pregnant."

Sean chuckled, leaning back in his chair and rubbed his bump, which was now more visible to Ianto. "Being pregnant is the easy one to explain. In the 29th century, the procedure for men to get pregnant was introduced. While many men chose the option, it didn't really catch on as normal until last century. During that time, there were many improvements to the procedure. However, I was one of the first to sign up for it back then."

"Mind you, it was very experimental at the time," Jack added, gently rubbing Sean's arm in a way that suggested he was drawing comfort from his partner.

"What was it going to do, Jack?" Sean asked, rolling his eyes. "Kill me?"

"It did that first time," Jack reminded quietly. "Along with Anita." His eyes went to Ianto. "That was what we named the little girl Sean was carrying until both he and the baby died from complications."

"I'm sorry," Ianto said, subdued.

"I know, Jack. But, the second time was successful," Sean pointed out, giving Jack a loving smile.

"Even if you were in bed for the last half of the pregnancy," said Jack. He took Sean's hand in his.

"Please Jack. That was 400 years ago. Past history. And eight healthy children since then, plus this one. It definitely got easier."

"And I'm glad." Jack kissed Sean's hand, smiling lovingly at him.

Ianto had to glance away for a moment from the intimate gesture. He still felt jealous of Sean, wanting some of that adoration from Jack bestowed upon himself. It was still almost heartbreaking for him to sit across the table from Jack and the man who was obviously the love of his life, being that the two men were still together after 1200 years. He felt his cheeks heat up as he felt silly. Sean was, after all, Ianto Jones 1200 years later. For some reason he had yet to find out, but intended to before they went back to Torchwood, he had managed to have a very long life. And from what was said already, it had to do with immortality.

"Did you have any children, Jack?" Ianto had to know. He was curious; it seemed he was now about to find out whether Jack had been joking about being pregnant before or serious. Even if he would forget once he found his way back to his Jack.

With Jack, one never knew. Then again, Jack had once said something along the lines of with his long life, he no longer had to make things up.

Jack snorted. "Of course. Hello. 51st century man right here. The first time was long before I met you."

"Jack had our first children before it was possible for me to finally return the favor."

"Ah," Ianto digested the information. "And when do we become fathers for the first time?"

"We had a boy barely two months old when Gray nearly killed us all," Jack stated. "He survived that day, thanks to you… Sean, I mean. But we lost him at 24. Death by Torchwood. Apparently just my DNA alone was not enough to save Franklin from permanent death. He was our only child back then, and it hurt so much, we went a very long time before having another. It was about 200 years later, when I found myself pregnant by accident…."

"If you count forgetting to take birth control an accident," Sean cut in.

"We were traveling. It was not in my plans to have my luggage sent to Logopolis instead of the Karrilynx space hub," Jack complained.

"Which is why I always make sure important items, such as that, are in my carry on."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Anyway, it didn't occur to me that my birth control was in one of the lost bags until it was too late." He gave Ianto a wink. "The combined DNA of two immortals at the least extend the lives of our children, assuming they don't get themselves killed. While we have a few that take fully after their dads. We realized that with Carryn, who's in charge of Torchwood Cardiff these days. She was caught in crossfire in the streets at six years old. We thought we lost her then, but she came back to us. No one is willing to truly test which is which with our children still living, but we have suspicions because of DNA testing when they are older. We've lost a couple of other children since then, but we learned two things. One is that we are grateful for the extended times we had with them, and the other is…." Jack drew a deep breath and released Sean's hand. He reached across the table to take Ianto's hand in his. Squeezing it lovingly, he smiled warmly at Ianto. "Even before you became immortal, back when I thought I'd lose you eventually, I still accepted that I was in love with you. I was willing to endure the pain of losing you, because that meant I would have had the time to love you. And I wouldn't have traded that for the world."

Ianto felt himself heat up and become flustered. His heart started to race and he couldn't stop the tear that fell down his face. He managed to clench the hand holding his and smile back at Jack. "I'm glad," he said. "I'm glad that I will never break your heart with loss. And all this…" His eyes went to Sean and rested on his swollen stomach. "A family." He took a deep breath. "I can understand why Sean was one of the first ones for the procedure. If you gave me children, I know I would love to share the experience and one day be the one to give you children."

"It wasn't always smooth," Jack admitted. "We separated a few times, but never for long and we never gave up on our love. It survived this long, and I know it always will." His voice dropped and Ianto had to strain a little to hear him speak. "You can see why I need you to get back. I need you, Ianto. I need to go through eternity with you at my side, to have a beautiful family together. More importantly, you already are a paradox. Your first pregnancy was crucial in discovering what was wrong with the procedure, and put it on track to what it was by the 51st century. They were ready to scrap it. But your coming back to life enabled them to take more tests. Your second pregnancy is what convinced the powers to be who were funding the project to continue with it. It matches the history I learned in the 51st century, but your name was withheld. I never knew that I was, if you will, the sperm donor to such historic moments in medical history. There are so many other contributions you made to not only Earth, but other planets. So many beings saved, so many worlds. The universe would be for the worse without you in it. I know my life definitely would be."

Ianto's smile grew. "Just tell me how I ended up immortal. I know I'm going to forget it when I get back, but for now it will be a distraction, knowing Sean is around. Tell me, and I promise you I will do my best to get back. I wanted to already, because I wanted you back. I wanted my Jack. My life. But now, I need to get back more than ever, so I can begin the journey to lead me to…." His eyes rested on Sean again, his smile still warm. "Being Sean Jones."

Jack kissed Ianto's hand before releasing it. He sat back in his chair again. Sean placed a hand on Jack's arm. "I'll start," Sean stated. "Jack's brother Gray was frozen in our cells, because as we already said, Jack couldn't bring himself to kill his brother, but he knew he couldn't allow him to cause any more destruction either. Jack was hoping that with time he could find a cure for Gray's insanity. We never had the chance. Three years after Jack placed Gray in the vaults, we had an explosion in the Hub. Alien trouble. They knew enough about us, that they wanted Torchwood out of the way. They got some of their numbers in the subbasement of the Hub and tried to kill us through a series of explosions. Somehow we managed to overcome them, but the damage was extensive. During the chaos, Gray had a chance to wake up and lose himself within the Hub. Just when we thought our troubles were over and it was time for clean up, Gray showed up. We had not yet accessed the full extent of damage, so it was definitely a surprise to us. Our main attention was on the Rift Manipulator, because there was a breech in integrity. Gray used the element of surprise to gain control of it. He was going to open the Rift enough to blast Cardiff out of existence. I wouldn't have been surprised if half of Europe went with it, not to mention the havoc it would have made to the fabric of this universe. He didn't care if the deaths included himself. All that mattered to him was that Jack suffered with guilt of all the death and destruction. He killed Jack before he started to open the Rift Manipulator."

Sean drew a deep breath. "It seemed impossible. But I glanced across the Hub. Gwen had Jack in her arms. Jack was dead, Gwen injured, both were bleeding. We had a baby boy waiting for his daddies to return home that day, and not to die with the rest of Wales. Gwen had Rhys and a small child waiting for her to come home to. I couldn't allow it. But I just didn't know how to stop it. I did what I could. Gray and I got caught in the Rift energy while we fought. I managed to kill him, push his body away from the Rift manipulator. But I had to shut it down. I managed to do that, but it was killing me in the process. My last thought was relief. That Wales was safe. Gwen would have Rhys and Tamryn to go home to that night. And Franklin would have at least one of his daddies to love him. Then I died. And I really thought that was it."

"You, um Sean… you were caught in the Time Vortex produced by the Rift Manipulator. It killed you, and it also brought you back to life," Jack said. "It gave you life eternal. Like me, Sean's part of the Time Vortex. I didn't know that immediately. When I woke up, I was on the floor, and Gwen was sobbing hysterically over his… your body. I joined her. We thought we lost him… you. It was the blackest moment of my life. You woke up while we were cleaning your body. Scared the living crap out of us both, but we couldn't have been more happier. Especially me." He took Sean's hand and clasped it tightly, drawing comfort. "And like we usually do when we're at the end, we started again. We rebuilt what we were able to underground and we started to go above ground. We went on to start what Torchwood is in this time. We rose above UNIT when it came to dealing with friendly aliens coming to Earth. We worked with the International Space Command. We're the ultimate organization dealing with human/non-human relations, extending throughout the universe. We have teams stationed as advisors within the Interplanetary Space Command. We still save lives – human and non-human, and planets. And Sean has gone on to do so much, making it all possible."

Ianto stared at the two men: the future version of his lover, and the immortal man he would become. He couldn't stop the slow grin from spreading across his face. He liked what he saw. His heart raced faster again, but not with despair and heartbreak. He was filled with love and life. He knew Jack wouldn't take any chances that he would remember any of this when he returned, but he knew his heart would know. His heart would push him, help him overcome obstacles and even insecurities he would have concerning Jack until that time when he would be given his greatest wish – to never leave Jack alone. He never wanted Jack to have to suffer the loss of one more lover. They would still know loss, but it would be together.

Ianto dropped his hands flat on the tabletop. "Well now. Enough time wasted. Work to do."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It took another four days until Xana announced she felt confident Ianto could use the Vortex device successfully. In the days before, when Ianto was done with working with Xana, and he was not relaxing in his suite, he spent his time going out and exploring the city. Twice Jack had accompanied him, showing him spots that were his and Sean's favorites.

The evening of Ianto had met Sean; they invited him up to their penthouse for dinner. Jack was still monitoring them through his wrist strap while both Ianto and Sean were careful not to touch each other. Ianto was amazed when he first entered the penthouse. He thought the suite he was staying in was bigger and nicer than the flat he had back home, but it was shadowed by the large and spacious area Jack and Sean called home. The rooms had high ceilings and most of them had glass walls that overlooked the city. It was a duplex apartment, with the bedrooms upstairs and above that was another rooftop garden. They had plenty of space surrounding the penthouse and it was closed off with high fences, making it safe for the children to play outdoors. Ianto noticed a swing and gym set outside the living room doors that led to the patio. It was futuristic looking, but not so different that he couldn't tell what it was. For most of the time he spent with the Jones family, he was kept busy by the three children, all of them curious about their mysterious Uncle Ianto, especially knowing he would only be around for a short time. Ianto found himself taking the kids to the park a couple of days later, because he was done for the day, but Sean and Jack both had a dinner meeting. The kids begged that their uncle watch them that evening.

Ianto grew fond of the children, and knew he would be sad to say goodbye to them. His comfort was knowing that one day in the far future, he wouldn't be just their uncle. He would be their Taddy and he would know the experience of bringing the twins into the world. Unlike his first couple of nights in the strange future, feeling lonely and missing his world and Jack, Ianto slept well, content and happy to know what the future held for him.

On the fourth day, Jack followed Ianto into his suite after he let the older man in. "Are you up to giving this a try tonight?" Jack asked Ianto. "Xana doesn't feel any further work will improve your chances. The small tests she ran with you this morning confirm you can take yourself home."

Ianto sat on the stool, over by the breakfast bar, that looked into the kitchen area. "That anxious to get rid of me, Jack?" he teased.

Jack looked stricken. "No. But well… I already have you here. I need you with the me that you left behind. All I can think about is how I felt during the time you were missing. I was desperate, willing to try anything to get you back. By the time you finally came back, I know Gwen, Owen and Toshiko were most certainly ready for you to show up. I drove them crazy. But I was so scared I had lost you and would never get you back."

Ianto smiled at Jack and laid his hand on the other man's shoulder. "I know, Jack. As much as I'm enjoying this time, and seeing what's in store for us, I need to go home. I've been here about a week now." He patted Jack's shoulder and moved his hand away. "I think that's the longest I've gone without a shag since you returned from your time with the Doctor. Or even a kiss. Especially with you around."

"I can give you one kiss. I don't think Sean would mind too much." Jack gave Ianto a cocky grin. "I mean, it's not like I'll be cheating on him with you."

"I know, Jack. You don't have to. I'll be kissing you tonight. And shagging you into tomorrow."

Jack laughed. "It's always the quiet ones." He rested his arms on the counter as a thoughtful look crossed his face. "I do have you around and have had you with me for a very long time, but weird as it sounds, I'm also going to miss you."

"I know," Ianto stated quietly. "I'm going to miss you, too. Well, at least until the Retcon kicks in."

"We're going to have to be very precise with it. You'll take it just as you're ready to leave. I can't take a chance of it kicking in while you're controlling the device, and I know you can keep quiet but I'd feel better if you can honestly say you don't remember when I realize you're back."

"Do we have an exact departure time?" Ianto asked.

"After dinner. Come spend one last afternoon with the family and have dinner with us. Afterwards you can come back here and get yourself ready. Xana and I will bring the device here. Then back you go."

"Sounds good to me."

Jack stood up and smiled at Ianto. "Come up in about an hour. I want to take a nice long shower and unwind a bit." He winked and with a grin, added, "As much as I can with three kids and a pregnant partner." He bent down and lightly kissed Ianto's forehead. "I'll see you in a bit."

"I think I'm going to relax a bit too until then." Ianto smiled up at Jack. "Thank you. For everything."

"You too. I need to thank you too. Later, Ianto."

"See you, Jack."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ianto was coming out of the shower when he heard the intercom buzz. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he went over to the intercom just outside the bathroom. "Yes," he answered.

"Ianto," Jack's voice came through.

Ianto immediately tensed up. In that single word, he felt waves of fear coming from Jack, along with an array of other emotions. "Jack? What's wrong?"

"We're down in medical. It's Sean… he had an accident," Jack explained, his voice sounding like he was close to tears.

"Enough said, Jack. I'm on my way down. I take it Sheila's with the children?"

"Yes."

"I'll be there in a few."

"I'll tell them that you're on your way down."

"Hang in there, Jack."

Ianto closed the communication and rushed to get dressed. Instead of the suit he had put aside to wear to dinner, he grabbed a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt and was on his way to medical within minutes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Xana met Ianto at the medical area and escorted him through until he found Jack pacing the halls, running his hands through his hair.

"Jack," Ianto called out. When the other man lifted his head and looked at him, he broke into a run and pulled Jack into his arms. He felt Jack tremble and held him tight. "You should sit down. Come with me." He was glad when Jack allowed him to guide them to a battered couch. Jack didn't let go when they were seated. "Tell me what happened."

"It was a stupid accident, one of those freak things, but he's lost a lot of blood and no matter what they do, they don't think they can keep him from dying. Which is okay, because he'll come back, but the baby… he's just barely six months along. Even with our technology, the survival rate is still a little better than 20% that the baby can survive outside a human body," Jack explained, and then buried his face in Ianto's shoulder.

Ianto ran fingers through the dark hair wayward hair, trying to smooth it. Jack wore his hair even shorter than his Jack, but had almost the same overall style. With the shorter hair, however, it stuck up at random angles more than Ianto was used to. "Are there any alternatives?" Ianto asked.

"I offered to carry the baby through the rest of the pregnancy, but the pregnancy is too advanced for a cold transplant. I'd have to get treatments for my body to produce the right hormones, to be in the right condition to host a baby. It could take hours, but we don't have hours. They're still trying to find ways to keep Sean alive, but we were both told we should pick a name." Jack shuddered. "You know, for the birth certificate. And here we wanted this one to be a surprise until it was born."

At little urging from Ianto, Jack explained how Sean had slipped in the kitchen on a wet spot while carrying a knife. While he managed to prevent the blade from ripping open the sac containing the baby, the knife had dragged and caused a huge gash along Sean's side. By the time a doctor came up to the suite, Sean had already lost too much blood.  
As Jack finished his explanation, Torchwood's medical officer, Isaac Radzinsky joined them, requesting that Jack join Sean in the treatment room. They had done all they could. Jack was to sit with Sean while he died, and wait for him to come back.

With tears running down his face, Jack rushed into the room, leaving the doctor behind. Ianto stood up and walked over to him. "Excuse me for asking, since I assume you know your job more than I do, but if it is a blood loss, why not a transfusion?" he asked Isaac.

The doctor leaned against the wall, looking exhausted. "It came up as a possibility. In fact, it would be his best bet in staying alive, but unfortunately we can't."

"Can't? Why not?" Ianto asked. "Surely my blood supply is not so rare."

"Actually it is. Humans have undergone a natural progression of evolution since your time. While your blood type remains the same, with the exception of offspring of interspecies breeding, Sean's blood is lacking certain elements that our blood supply has, making it incompatible. The last of the original blood samples from your time are long gone. And since Sean doesn't stay dead, we never had a need for a blood supply compatible to his. Being immortal, his blood didn't evolve. It is still the same as the 21th century."

"Meaning, my blood." Ianto grabbed the doctor by his shirt. "How long would it take to reproduce my blood? Or better yet, would you be able to get enough from me to keep him alive?"

Isaac blinked and stared at Ianto as if seeing him for the first time. "Yes. Why of course. You're Sean. You have the same blood type. I think I can…."

"Hold on one moment," Xana cut in. She had been standing close and listening to them. "I don't know how this paradox thing works exactly, but being they aren't supposed to touch, wouldn't that also create a paradox?"

"I don't know," Isaac admitted. "Follow me, Ianto, and let's ask Jack. Hopefully it won't be too late."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Once inside the treatment room, Jack was pulled to the side, and the doctor explained what he had hoped to do, along with Ianto's offer.

"With a transfusion, it will take less time than it would to prepare you for a transplant, Jack," Isaac said.

Jack glanced from the pale unconscious Sean and then over to Ianto.

"What concerns us is the possibility of a paradox," Isaac added.

Jack sighed and nodded slowly. "There are some things that shouldn't be. What I didn't learn as a Time Agent, I learned through experience in my life. Obviously, some things were okay to go back and change, and others best left alone. Meanwhile some things are meant to be." Jack fixed his watery eyes on Ianto. "I don't believe in coincidence. Never have. And when there are so many so-called coincidences stacked together, I've learned to trust my judgment to determine if there's a reason. We've lost a child before it was born before. And while I'm prepared to feel that pain again…." He shook his head. "Why do I feel like this baby was meant to live? That we needed Ianto Jones from the past to be here with us?"

Ianto snorted. "I have to agree with you, but wouldn't it have been easier for me to just prevent this?"

Jack shrugged. "Sometimes things happen and we know the reason, while others we'll never understand. This could be one of those where it's both." He squeezed Sean's hand as his attention went to Isaac. "Go ahead, Doc. I don't think we'll have any consequences to deal with. And if we do, something tells me it'll be for the better."

Isaac appeared to let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I've had my team already start the preliminary work while we're speaking. So, if Ianto doesn't mind quickly getting changed, we can get this transfusion going."

Jack stood up and pulled Ianto into his arms. "Thank you," he whispered. "No matter where in time you're from, you're someone who I can always depend on. It's no wonder why I chose to spend forever with you, Ianto Jones."

Ianto hugged Jack back and then pulled away. "I'll be okay," he assured Jack. His hope in the transfusion working had increased as he listened to Jack talk. If by some grand design, he was meant to be there to donate blood to his future self, then he had little doubt that it would end well. He kissed Jack's cheek. "Hang on tight, and keep believing." Ianto allowed himself to be lead behind a screen by Isaac, where a nurse helped him quickly get prepared.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jack entered the room and smiled at the two men occupying the treatment room. Sean's eyes were closed, but he didn'tlook as deathly pale as he had the last time he saw his partner. In the other bed, Ianto opened his eyes and gave him a tired, weak smile.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"The fact that Sean's still alive says much for hope," Jack replied quietly. "Isaac says that the blood regeneration is working. We'll know within the hour if all goes well. We're running paradox probability monitoring and all seems quiet. Meaning it was meant to be." Jack moved over to Sean's bed and leaned down to tenderly kiss the other man's forehead. He moved enough so he could also kiss his swollen belly. "Hang in there, little one. You have a Tad who will move time itself to make sure you come into the world healthy." He rested his cheek on the bump and smiled gently. "The baby is kicking." He lifted his head, still smiling. "Thank you, Ianto."

Ianto shook his head slightly. "No need to. Technically that is my child too, and I couldn't let it die."

Jack straightened up and walked over to Ianto's bed and sat carefully on the edge. "I'm afraid we're going to have to delay your exit for a few days. Isaac wants to make sure the initial blood you donated replenishes sufficiently before we send you through the vortex. Even controlled, it can be rough on the system and we don't want to take chances of you showing up dying or worse."

"I understand."

"Isaac is pretty sure he can release you in a few more hours, as long as you stay off your feet as much as possible for the next day or so. You gave quite a lot of blood and now not only Sean has blood replenishing but you do too. You'll stay in the penthouse, so you can be looked after."

"That won't be necessary, Jack. I'll be fine."

"No. I'll be up there some of the day, and Sheila will be around when I'm not. That way I'll know you're really resting. And the kids are really good at being quiet and helping out when we need them. Eric also knows how to make a few simple meals and snacks. So, it's settled. I'll take you up to the penthouse when you're released. Sheila is already preparing the guest room for you, and I'll go and grab your things."

"Considering I was planning to be gone by now, don't worry about what you gave me to use during my time here. It's not like I can pack a bag and take anything back with me, you know."

Jack smiled. "Toiletries and the suit you were wearing when you joined us, which is what you should be wearing when you leave."

Ianto started to protest when a groan from the next bed diverted their attention.

Jack jumped up from where he sat and rushed over to Sean's side. Taking a hand in his, Jack knelt next to the bed. "Sean," he sighed.

"How…" Sean rasped. "The baby…."

"Fine. So are you." Jack leaned over to kiss his cheek. "It was close. Too close." His voice cracked. "But… it's working. You're blood is replenishing. They minimized the baby's stress and the little one is putting up a helluva fight."

"I can feel. I take it all that movement is good then?"

"It's very good," Jack assured. "And we seem to be doing good all around. We don't predict any problems with you having your past self's blood in you." Jack kissed his cheek again and glanced over at Ianto. "Everyone is okay."

Sean moved his head slightly towards Ianto. "Thank you."

"No need," Ianto replied with a smile. "You're me. And that baby will be mine when I catch up to you."

"Still." Sean raised a hand and rested it on his bump, sighing in relief. "It was such a silly accident."

"It was my fault," Jack said softly, hanging his head. "I was making hot chocolate for the kids and spilled some water."

"And you would have wiped it up if Eric hadn't distracted you. And I should've remembered it was there, but then Darlene distracted me. It was just a silly accident. And I'm glad it didn't cost the baby its life."

"Lesson learned," Jack sighed, kissing Sean's hand. He stood up enough to kiss his forehead. "Now rest up some more. They're going to move you into a more comfortable room soon. And I should go check on the kids and let them know everything is okay."

"Yes. Last I remember, they were very upset."

"I wasn't so successful from keeping them away from seeing the blood. I'll probably have at least the twins in bed with me tonight."

"That's fine, Jack. At least I know you won't spend the night sitting in a chair in my room. The kids need you more. I'm fine."

"Ianto is going to take over our guest room."

"Of course, he'll need help while he recovers." Sean's eyes started to close.

"Sleep, love. It'll all be okay now. Even if you have to take it extra easy until it's time to deliver."

"I suppose I'll be bedridden again for months."

"Not completely, but yes, you'll have to be off your feet more often than not. And I'll take care of you."

Sean gave Jack a tired smile. "It will be worth it to have this little one with us when it's time to be born and its healthy. I'll do whatever it takes to keep it that way."

Jack kissed Sean's forehead again. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Jack continued to hold Sean's hand and watch as the other man fell back into a healing sleep. Jack moved a chair between the beds and talked softly to Ianto while he kept watch over both men until Isaac came in with some techs. While Isaac did checkups on both men, Jack left to see to the children, and assure them that their Tad and baby sibling would be okay.

After both men were checked over, Ianto was released to go upstairs to continue to rest for the night, while Sean was moved to another room. Jack kissed the twins and promised all three children that he would be upstairs soon and to go up with Sheila and get ready for bed.

Jack and Ianto checked in on Sean in his room, and Ianto left to sit outside, giving the two some private time. He sat talking to Xana until Jack came out of the room. Jack then led Ianto up to the penthouse.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ianto found himself in the future for another three days. By the second day, he ended up giving Jack a hand around the apartment with the kids and cleaning up, leaving Sean to continue to rest. Sometimes Sean would relax on the couch, and they would watch videos together. Other times during the day, Ianto would take the kids to the park to give Sean some quiet, and Jack a chance to spend time alone with his partner. Ianto started to feel more like he would as a father, and knew without a doubt he loved the three children. The times he helped Jack, it was easy for him to imagine what being domestic with Jack felt like and he would almost forget that he wasn't Jack's partner. Not yet, at least. He had another 1200 years to become the man who was on partial bed rest until it was time to deliver the baby.

It was a bittersweet time, because as much as he wanted to finally go home , he found he wanted the life that was in his future now. It boggled his brain whenever he would look at Sean and realize that it was his life now – for the older version of himself.

It finally came time for him to hug the kids goodbye, telling them that he enjoyed being with them, but he was now going far away again. He told them he was glad he had a chance to see his brother and family and he loved them very much. He fought back tears as the kids waved goodbye as they left the apartment with Sheila. The vision of little Charlene with tears in her eyes stayed with him. Darlene looked only slightly better. Xana soon joined them and it was time for more goodbyes.

He said goodbye to Xana, thanking her for everything. Next, he found himself standing before Sean. Despite his blood now being in Sean, along with an additional supply stored should it be needed in the future, they didn't dare hug. The look on both of their faces said that they wished they could. While they were both the same men, they were also two very different men, Sean being changed just enough with the passing of time, as well as being much older and wiser than Ianto could ever imagine himself becoming. Most times he thought of Sean as a dear friend rather than an older version of him.

"This may be odd to say," Sean started after clearing his throat, "but I'm going to miss you."

Ianto chuckled. "I understand completely."

"If I didn't so desperately need you to go back where you belong, I'd be inclined to keep you around."

They both turned when they heard a groan from Jack. "Please, give a man a break," he said. "For the last three days I had two of you in this place with me. It's a fantasy come true, except I couldn't very well take the two of you to bed with me."

Sean and Ianto chuckled and moved as one until they had Jack between them, and they both hugged Jack. They were careful not to touch. Jack moaned and smiled brightly. "An Ianto Jones sandwich."

Sean swatted Jack playfully and pulled away. "Oh go ahead and say your goodbyes, so your past self won't be so lonely anymore."

"Yeah, huh?" He pulled Ianto into a tight hug. "I'm sorry you won't remember all this, but I can tell you that it's very soon after you get back that our relationship will shift, taking the first steps toward what Sean and I have had for 1200 years."

Ianto hugged him back. "Pretty soon, I'll have my own Jack with me, but I am going to miss you."

"I'll be back sooner than you think," Jack joked. He kissed Ianto's forehead. "I love you, Ianto. I have for a very long time, and always will." He moved his lips and pressed them against Ianto's. "I also know you will start knowing that soon. I don't have to tell you good luck, because I know how you'll do." He glanced over to Sean, who was sitting on the couch and rubbing a small circle on his swollen belly as the baby moved.

Ianto couldn't help smiling widely as tears finally fell from his eyes. Instead of sad tears, they were tears of joy. "I'm looking forward to it. Goodbye, Jack Jones."

"Goodbye, Ianto Jones."

After one final hug, they pulled away and Ianto went over to Xana. Jack helped Sean to his feet and the pregnant man called out a final goodbye and left the room to head upstairs.

Once Sean was up the stairs, Jack turned to Xana, who held out the device to Ianto. "Now, you know what you need to do."

Ianto grinned at Jack. "Sure. Click my heels three times and repeat there's nowhere like home."

Jack and Xana broke out into laughter.

Ianto griped the device, feeling through it the proper way to place his fingers. He took a deep breath. "Right. Here we go. Once again, thanks for everything."

Jack waved and as Xana stood next to him, Ianto closed his eyes and channeled into the device.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gwen carefully made her way into the Hub from the cog door, as the proximity alarm went off, carrying a tray. She looked over to see Toshiko already at her computer. She went over to the Japanese woman and held out a container of coffee. "You look like you've been here all night," she said.

"Not exactly, but it feels like it. Thank you," Toshiko said as she took the cup from Gwen. "Missing Ianto's coffee is the least of it, but I would be glad to have it again." She sighed sadly. "I'm running out of resources, Gwen. And eventually I'm going to have to tell Jack there's nothing more we can do. If the device stayed, we might have had a chance to find him."

"And then what?"

"I don't know. But I can't tell Jack that."

"You think we can get Owen to tell him?"

"Toshiko!" Jack called as he stepped out of his office. His hair was sticking up in odd angles, and he had bags under his eyes. There was also an emptiness in them. "Please tell me you're getting somewhere."

Toshiko sighed. Owen looked up from his workstation and stood up to join the women at Toshiko's station.

"Well, what are we standing around here for? Doesn't anyone have anything new?"

Owen cleared his throat. "Do you, Jack?"

Jack looked deflated as he shook his head. "No." He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm afraid I'm running out of options."

"I'm sorry, Jack," Toshiko said quietly. "I'm afraid to admit it, but so am I. I just don't know what else to do to find Ianto."

Jack smacked the rail in frustration. "We can't give up on Ianto like this! What if he can't come back? What if we've lost him?" Jack seemed to deflate even more before their eyes. "I can't lose him," he added. "We need to find something, somehow."

Any responses from the others were stopped when the intruder alarm went off. Toshiko and Gwen turned to their computers, as Jack rushed across the Hub to stand by Owen. "What's going on?"

"Intruder in the Hub!" Toshiko announced.

Jack gritted his teeth. "Dammit! No alien invasions until we find Ianto!" he snapped.

Owen shook his head. "A little too late, Jack. We'll have to deal with it."

"Jack!" Gwen called out.

"What?" the Captain snapped.

"It's…." Gwen's mouth dropped.

Toshiko checked her own readings and looked at Jack. "Oh my God!"

Both she and Gwen's eyes went past Jack.

"What is it, dammit? Anyone care to tell me what the hell is going on?" Jack demanded.

From behind him, he heard a snort. A very familiar snort. "Really Jack," he heard Ianto's voice. "I hardly consider myself an alien invasion."

Jack spun around. "Ianto?" He saw Ianto standing several feet behind him.

He heard squeals from both Toshiko and Gwen. From Owen, he heard, "That's bloody brilliant, tea boy."

Jack rushed to close the distance and pulled the Welshman in a crushing hug. "Ianto! My God! We thought we lost you for good."

Gwen was running over to them. "Ianto! What happened to you?"

Toshiko was also on her way to welcome Ianto back. Owen grabbed a scanner from his desk and made his way over as well.

Jack pulled back from Ianto. "Are you harmed in anyway?"

Ianto opened his mouth to reply, only to end up yawniing widely. His eyes started to close. "Just sleepy… need to sleep."

Jack held his arms out to catch the Welshmen as he started to topple over.

Owen helped Jack get a better hold. "To the couch, Jack. Get him over to the couch," Owen demanded.

Once they had Ianto's unconscious form settled on the couch, Jack undid Ianto's tie and opened a couple of buttons, while Owen scanned him.

"He seems fine, Jack. Just unconscious." Owen studied the scanner. "If you ask me, it seems as if he was given something to make him sleep. I'll run a few more tests on him, but I don't think he's in any danger. Let's hope he has some answers for us when he wakes up."

Gwen walked away from the couch, giving the men more room as she held the jacket Owen and Jack took off Ianto before they had settled him. She smiled at Toshiko. "I think we'll finally go back to business as usual now," she said.

Toshiko smiled as she looked over to the couch. Jack was sitting on the couch with Ianto's head in his lap, while Owen crouched before them, running tests. "Yes. Not your average alien invasion, but just a missing Ianto."

"Thank goodness," Gwen sighed in relief. Toshiko nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to run some scans to see if we can figure out where Ianto came from," Toshiko said. She reached out to run her fingers across the jacket Gwen still held and smiled again.

Gwen followed her and carefully set Ianto's jacket on a chair and started to do her own scans. Once in a while both women would look back, as if to reassure themselves that their team was once again whole.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Ianto opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Jack's concerned face staring down at him. He felt his hand in Jack's, and he had to smile. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," Jack replied. "Welcome back."

Ianto nodded, and then looked around to discover they were in Jack's bed down in the cubbyhole under his office. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?" Jack asked.

Ianto thought back, frowning slightly. "We were tracking down alien tech that was giving off high readings. Oh, we found it and were preparing to bring it back to the Hub for safekeeping. And then…." Ianto started to frown more. "It's a blank. I think I vaguely remember suddenly finding myself in the Hub and then nothing until now."

"The device enabled time travel, and it was accidentally set off by a dog that got past our perimeters. It took you away from us."

Ianto studied at Jack's face and saw the anguish and despair. It tugged at his memories, as if it reminded him of something else, but he couldn't remember what. It didn't matter, he decided as he pushed it aside. He needed to reassure Jack that he was okay. Reaching up to cup Jack's cheek, he smiled softly. "I'm back, Jack. I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."

"How can you be so sure? One day…."

Ianto sat up and silenced Jack with a soft, loving kiss. "I don't know. But that's what I want. And everything else doesn't matter right now. No need to cry over a future we're not sure of."

"Yeah, huh? Why are you so smart, Ianto Jones?" he asked.

"Because you love me for it," Ianto said in a teasing tone.

Jack pressed his forehead against Ianto's. "I do, and not just for your brains."

Ianto felt his breath catch. He knew their relationship had evolved from just shagging awhile back, but he felt as if they had taken another step. "Me too. I mean, I do and not just for your looks."

Jack chuckled. "I'm glad." His look turned serious. "You skipped out on our date," he said, attempting to make his voice light, but didn't quite succeed.

"It wasn't my choice, Jack. I'm willing to make it up tonight. Same plans?"

Jack nodded. "Only if you're feeling up to it. I'm going to take you home soon, after Owen has another chance to check you over and make sure you're okay. Once we're at your flat, I'm going to tuck you in, and take care of you. If you feel okay by tonight, we'll go on our date. If not, then you have me to pamper you some more and we'll go tomorrow."

"You don't have to fuss over me, Jack."

"Probably not, but I want to." Jack stared into Ianto's eyes. "I need to." He wrapped his arms around Ianto. "When I thought we lost you, I couldn't accept it; because I didn't want to deal with you not being in my life. Not yet, Ianto. It's too soon." He passionately kissed Ianto, conveying into the kiss everything he couldn't yet put into words. Ianto found he had to hold on tighter as he started to drown in the passion and emotion coming from Jack in waves. They didn't have to be telepathic to feel the connection.

Ianto returned the kiss, letting Jack know he felt the same. Wherever he had gone, he couldn't remember, but he sensed how much he missed being with Jack. To be in Jack's arms, feeling his mouth do all those talented things that evoked sensations in him that no one else had been able to, and it gave him a sense of homecoming. Ianto knew one thing, and somehow sensed it had much more to do with what he couldn't remember.

He was home.


End file.
